Holly Wheeler plays a surprisingly key role in the Stranger Things 5 first episodes

The first batch of episodes of Stranger Things 5 is now streaming on Netflix, and what a way to kick off a final season! Season 5 is all about the Hawkins gang working together to take down Vecna for good, but there's one character who didn't get much screentime in previous seasons, who we see taking on a surprisingly important role in the first half of this last installment.

That character is Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher). We were actually introduced to Holly in the first season, and she has appeared in other seasons as well. However, she was much younger and served as a background character with no lines. That all changes in the first few episodes of Stranger Things 5. Below, we shared everything you need to know about Holly’s pivotal moments in the fifth season so far.

Major spoilers are ahead from Stranger Things 5.

Holly Wheeler is connected to Henry/Vecna in Stranger Things 5

In the very first episode of Stranger Things 5, Holly is shown waving at a shadowy figure in the window of her house as the Wheelers and the Byers are preparing to eat breakfast. This was already strange, and left viewers wondering who this mysterious person was. Later on in the episode, Holly sees this same person again while on the playground at her school and even greets them. But when her teacher comes outside to call her back in, all she sees is Holly talking to thin air.

Mike arrives at Holly's school later to pick her up and finds her sitting on a bench while reading A Wrinkle in Time. She explains to Mike that she has a friend named Mr. Whatsit and that he told her to wait there. She also shares with Mike that Mr. Whatsit told her that he'll protect her from all the monsters in Hawkins. However, Mike doesn't think too much of what Holly is saying and reassures her that the monsters aren’t real.

Later on that day, Holly rushes back to her bedroom after hearing her parents argue. But then she sees the nightlight in her room flickering. As a viewer, we know what this means because we saw Will tell Nancy and the others in a previous scene that a Demogorgon is headed to the Wheelers' house. While Nancy and Eleven head back to her home, this scene with Holly is taking place.

In the opening of the second episode, a Demogorgon tears through the ceiling of Holly's room, and Holly manages to escape to the bathroom to tell her mother, Karen. They both hide underwater in the bathtub while the Demogorgon inches its way closer. But then Ted, Holly's father, makes noise from another room and the Demogorgon goes after him instead. Ted ends up knocked out by the Demogorgon, and then it becomes a showdown between it, Karen, and Holly.

Karen manages to stab the Demogorgon with the sharp part of a wine bottle, but then the creature badly injures her back. Nancy and Eleven finally arrive at the house and find Karen on the floor, and no Holly in sight. The Demogorgon has kidnapped Holly and taken her to the Upside Down. Eleven turns around and heads back through the portal that the Demogorgon escaped through with Holly. Meanwhile, Nancy and the others rush to take Karen and Ted to the hospital.

We find out later in the second episode that the Demogorgon has taken Holly to Vecna. To not scare Holly, Vecna appears in his human form as Henry and together they enter his house in the Upside Down. Henry/Vecna is Mr. Whatsit.

Over the course of the remaining episodes in the first batch, the Hawkins gang bands together to rescue Holly. Meanwhile, Henry/Vecna manipulates her. He convinces her that he’s trustworthy and promises that he will eventually bring her friends and family to the Upside Down so they can all be together. While Holly is on his side for a while, that all changes when she meets the person who leaves her a note in his mailbox.

Henry/Vecna told her not to go out into the woods because that's where the monsters are. But after he leaves the house, Holly looks through his mailbox and finds a note that seemingly appears to be from him to her. The note tells her to meet him at a particular place that's located deep in the woods. Holly is hesitant to go at first, but then she changes her mind and heads out. But guess who she ends up meeting?

After arriving at the spot that the note stated, Holly finds herself in front of a cave. She sees movement inside the cave and starts running away. But then she trips and falls down, and the person crouches down and reveals themselves. It's Max Mayfield! But isn't Max in a coma in the real world? She is, but she explains to Holly how she's also in the Upside Down while they're in the cave.

Apparently, she's stuck in Henry/Vecna's memories. She tried to escape through a portal back to the real world once before, but it was an epic fail. She then decided to accept her fate. That's until Holly showed up. Now, Max believes they have a chance of both escaping. But first, Holly needs to return to Henry/Vecna's house and act like everything's normal so that he doesn't suspect anything. We don't find out what Max's escape plan is in these first batch of episodes, but we'll likely find out when the next set drops on Dec. 25.

Stranger Things 5 is now available to stream on Netflix.